Former Olympic Swimmer Mark Foster Came Out As Gay

Mark Foster is a five-time British Olympic swimmer, a six-time world champion, a setter of eight world records, and a BBC sports commentator.

And now adding to that list, Foster has come out as gay.

The 47-year-old commentator spoke to the Guardian to share his truth because despite having a good support group of friends and family in private, he was tired of lying to the public.

"It’s not like I’ve been pushed to come out,” he told the Guardian, “I’ve just swerved and swerved. Telling half-truths and not being my true self is only hurting me. I’m 47, a middle-aged man, and I’m no longer competing. And I’m not the first gay sportsman to come out. Gareth Thomas and Tom Daley led the way.”

Foster echos the fact that being an openly gay athlete is still rare and some would say taboo.

He says that since the age of 17 he found it hard to voice out the fact that he is gay. That only became harder as he became a professional athlete.

Mark Foster was even comfortable enough to share that his fears of coming out go beyond that. His fears were deeply rooted in avoiding vulnerability.

"Sharing stuff was always the problem. I’ve got used to avoiding the truth and I never spent much time looking in the mirror. It’s a fear of being vulnerable because if you open yourself up you could be hurt."